The study, conducted by the Cato Institute, a Washington-based think-tank, examined the combined value of benefits - including Aid to Families With Dependent Children, food stamps, Medicaid, and others - for a typical welfare recipient in each of the 50 states. The authors then compared the value of those tax-free benefits with the amount of take-home income a worker would have left after paying taxes on an equivalent pre-tax income.

*In 40 states, welfare pays more than $8 an hour. In 17 states, welfare is more generous than a $10 an hour job.

*Welfare benefits are especially generous in large cities. Welfare provides the equivalent of an hourly pretax wage of $14.75 in New York City; $12.45 in Philadelphia; $11.45 in Baltimore; and $10.90 in Detroit.

IF you are interviewing for a job, consulting firm Manchester Partners International suggests four tips to put applicants on the fast track.

Maintain eye contact at least 60 percent of the time during the interview; dress for a job two levels higher than the one you are interviewing for; research the company, and practice a two-minute drill.

On-line usage up; but cyberspace still not hot

THE number of Americans who use computer on-line services has shot up since last winter from 5 million to 12 million, a new survey shows. But millions more with the ability to connect have not, according to the Times Mirror Center for The People &amp; The Press.